


Gay Erotica

by leonheart2012



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Arguments, Blow Jobs, Changing Tenses, Chocobros - Freeform, Confessions, First Kiss, First Person, Gay Erotica Novels, Getting Together, M/M, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:42:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24606397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leonheart2012/pseuds/leonheart2012
Summary: “Gladio!” Notcis’ voice finally breaks through my awe of the words on the page before me, startling me into slamming it shut. “What are you even reading? Doesn’t look like your normal books.”I feel the start of a blush colour my cheeks. “Nothing.” I hastily shove it under my seat before climbing out of the car. I hadn’t known what to expect when I had picked it up at one of the gas stations we’d stopped at, but it certainly hadn’t been gay erotica. Even so, it was exceptionally well-written, and I found myself unnervingly interested in the plot.What will come of the chocobros after the revelation of what Gladio's reading?
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Original Female Character(s), Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	Gay Erotica

_His hand slid up my thigh, our lips pressed together in a passionate kiss, and I gasped as it reached the apex, rubbing my erection. He pulled back enough to ask my permission before undoing my belt and taking my member in hand, stroking over it as I hardened._

_Leaning back into the seat of his car, I closed my eyes and let myself be transported to another place as he wrapped his lips around the head and started giving me my first ever blow job. I couldn’t last long, not when his tongue-_

“Gladio!” Notcis’ voice finally breaks through my awe of the words on the page before me, startling me into slamming it shut. “What are you even reading? Doesn’t look like your normal books.”

I feel the start of a blush colour my cheeks. “Nothing.” I hastily shove it under my seat before climbing out of the car. I hadn’t known what to expect when I had picked it up at one of the gas stations we’d stopped at, but it certainly hadn’t been gay erotica. Even so, it was exceptionally well-written, and I found myself unnervingly interested in the plot.

The young man whose point of view the book is in has a crush on the star player in his high school. He himself is quite popular, so hanging out is a typical day for them, but then they start hanging out alone. On windy nights, they go for drives out of town. And then finally, finally, in the sixteenth chapter, on page one hundred and two, they share their first kiss.

I had been so happy upon reading it that I had been left smiling for the rest of the day. But now, it’s having a more...problematic effect. I try to hide my...excitement from my friends as we set out on foot to hunt down yet another beast so we can afford to eat tomorrow. Not exactly a royal experience, but at least Prompto seems to be having fun; he always ends up humming to himself after a good fight, dancing around camp at night, trying to show off new moves he’s learned – or rather come up with.

It occurs to me that he may be trying to impress Noct, or maybe myself or Iggy. It’s hard to say, because it’s just so like him to be so flamboyant in his everyday life. Maybe he’s just enjoying having so many cool things to photograph.

After the hunt, we trudge back into town with smears of dirt and beast blood all over us. We receive a few glares for our smell, but the restaurant owner seems more grateful than anything.

“Oh, thank you so much!” He hands us a coin purse. “Here, this should ease your way.” Ignis takes it and tucks it away...somewhere. He still won’t tell me where he stashes our supplies. Maybe Noct hides them in the armiger along with our weapons. _Like a walking backpack_ , I think and suppress a snort.

Ignis shoots me a glare, and I take myself outside, sitting on the bench next to Kenny Crow as the owner tries to force Ignis to accept some spices and also more money and also this accessory he’s sure will serve some purpose. I open up my book again and find where I’d left off. As annoying as walking around with an erection is going to be, I can’t take my mind off it anyway, so I might as well finish the scene as quickly as I can.

_-his tongue brushed against the head and dipped into the slit. I gasped and threaded my fingers into his hair, softly moaning his name. His lips tightened and curled, and he sucked and licked, until I was right on the edge. Conscious of how close I was, I tugged on his hair, urging him to pull off, but he only got me further into his mouth, until I came down his throat._

“ _That wasn’t a good idea.” I warned him. “I haven’t been tested yet.”_

“ _You’re also a virgin, though, aren’t you?” He asked with a smirk. “Relax. You don’t have anything, promise.” He guided my hand to his crotch, and I felt how hard he was. Smiling nervously, I leaned over and opened his pants, the angle awkward, as I took out his cock and started to stroke it._

_Sighing, he relaxed back into his own seat, pushing his hips forward. Glancing up at him, I saw that he wasn’t really paying attention to me. Feeling more confident, I leaned even closer and opened my mouth. I closed it again and swallowed. I’d seen porn where guys choked on dicks smaller than this. It didn’t seem like a good time._

_I flicked my eyes back up to Fenris’ face. His eyes were still closed. Licking my lips, I leaned in closer again, until they brushed against the head. His breath hitched, but his eyes didn’t open, so I opened my mouth again and stuck out my tongue, giving it a tentative taste. Salty. That’s how I would describe it, more than with any other adjective. It was like skin, but saltier, like lips, but drier. Speaking of which, it must be uncomfortable, having dry skin on dry skin contact in such a sensitive area._

_That thought, more than anything, spurred me to-_

“GLADIO!” Noctis yells in my ear, and I drop the book on the ground.

“Six above, Noct, I was just getting to the good bit!” I yell back at him, picking it back up again and brushing the dust off it. “Couldn’t you have waited just another few minutes?”

“We already went shopping.” He huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. “And filled up the car, and got another two hunts to go on.”

I groan. “Not _more_ hunts. Please, can’t we just get on with our journey already? Don’t you want to go see Luna?”

He flushes. “Of course I do.” He looks away from me. “I just...” He shakes his head in frustration. “Whatever.” He storms away and gets into the Regalia, behind the wheel.

Ignis is immediately at his side, presumably whispering words of warning about driving when he’s so upset and how it can lead to a higher rate of accidents. Prompto is still with me. A gentle tug at the book dislodges it from my hands, and before I can stop him, Prompto’s reading the title of the book. He turns it over and reads the blurb, which I had totally forgotten to do before choosing it.

“It’s...” I start, but I have no excuses; it’s exactly what it looks like. I’m _enjoying_ a book of gay erotica. Getting hard from it. I might not want to admit it to myself, but there’s no way a straight guy would have even read beyond the general premise. As my cheeks heat, I sink back into the chair. Prompto’s going to think I’m so weird. He’s going to tell the others how much of a freak I am and-

The book is placed tenderly on my lap. His hands are shaking. “Sounds like a good story.” He says stiffly and walks over to the car.

I hang my head. _Well, that could have gone better_ , I think bitterly, picking the book back up. _Seems like you’re a real life destroyer_. I think to the book and take it over to the car, tucking it under my seat, trying to forget about it. I’ll get another book next time we’re at a gas station or in the city.

Prompto has been acting strangely. I had expected him to distance himself from me, after learning about what I’ve been reading, but he just seems more jumpy than usual. He’s not humming to himself after battles anymore, not so excited when he sees Ka, his chocobo, not posing outside the tent anymore. Of course, all of us are on-edge after our fight, and I know it’s really my fault, and I should take responsibility, but I’m still angry at Noct.

It’s only been a few days, but it feels like years have passed. Noct stirs his morning coffee without looking at any of us, more down than usual. I bite my lip. I should say something to him. I should step up and be a man about this.

Slowly, I force myself to my feet. “Hey, sorry for snapping at you.” I say without preamble. He doesn’t look up, but I can tell he’s interested. “I’d just like some more time to read in peace.”

“Yeah, it’s...okay.” He seems pained when he says it, but at least he’s talking to me. “Sorry we’ve been going on so many hunts, I just find them really fun.”

“As long as we’re careful.” Ignis says, stepping in before I can protest and make everything even worse. Not that I was going to. My gaze goes to Prompto, and as if sensing my eyes, he looks up and smiles weakly at me. He sips his coffee, grimaces, and tips it out. It was practically full.

He walks past without looking at me and washes his coffee cup in the pot over the coals. Then, we start packing up camp, rolling up the tent and folding up the chairs. Before long, we’re back on the road, and I take the time to open up my book again, finally.

_That thought, more than anything, spurred me to take him into my mouth, but I wasn’t really sure where to go from there. I hadn’t been paying close enough attention to what Fenris had been doing to repeat it, so I just started bobbing my head shallowly._

_Whatever I was doing seemed to be feeling good, because he was moaning and panting, gripping the seat with white knuckles. After a while, he moaned particularly loudly and warned me he was about to cum. Pulling off, I let him finish with my hand rubbing him._

_After his orgasm, he opened his eyes and smiled at me, bringing me into another kiss, this one more lazy than before. “That was...awesome.” He said, face practically glowing. “Let’s do it again sometime.”_

I close the book with a sigh. That really was something. I now really wish I saved my reading for at night, when I was in bed. So I could masturbate along with them. I put it back under my seat. When I sit up, Prompto’s looking at me over the back of his seat.

I feel my face heat again. “Everything okay?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

His own cheeks flush. “Yeah, sorry.” He turns around, looking steadfastly ahead, as if afraid that I’ll ask him more questions. I _want_ to ask him more questions, but I’m sure he’d rather I did that while the others aren’t around, so I let them go unanswered for now.

I close my eyes and tilt my head back, thinking about Fenris and Clarience, about their love and their fumbling first attempts at sex. It reminds me of my first time…

_“Do you think we’re ready?” I ask of her as her bra comes off. She’s sitting on my lap, her long legs either side of mine. We’ve been kissing for barely ten minutes, but she seemed ready to go right from the moment she walked through the door. We’ve been dating for a few weeks, and while I’d like to get to know her better, I feel like she’s too frustrated with my dancing around the topic of sex._

_She scoffs and comes back to rest her long-nailed fingers against my bare chest. “Come on, how long are you going to make me wait?” She had practically torn the shirt off me as soon as she’d come in. “Show me how big you are.” Her hands go for my belt, and before I can stop her, she’s on her knees between mine on the couch in my parents’ house. They’re out for the night, but it still feels wrong, like they could come home at any moment._

_She doesn’t worry about any of that, though. Her fingers worm their way into my pants and grasp my cock, tugging me out and giving me a few strokes. Her face falls slightly as she gets a proper look at it. “Not as big as the rumours say.” She complains before shrugging and taking it into her mouth._

_My heart does something weird in my chest. I had hoped for something more special, something with someone I really, truly cared about. The dreams of a hopeless romantic, but dreams that now lie shattered at my feet. I watch her giving me head as though I’m somewhere and someone else. Before long, she’s on top of me, seemingly uninterested in any input I may have, taking her pleasure from me. As my body reaches its natural high, she takes herself off me and finishes me off with her hand before fingering herself._

_After she’s left, it hits me that what I’m experiencing is disappointment. I had hoped for something like in those old movies, the ones where they share their first kiss on the seventh date, after months of courtship, when they’ve known each other all their lives, and the guy slowly takes the girl’s virginity, gently. I’m disappointed that my first time wasn’t like that._

I open my eyes as the car comes to stop. We’re at the place where the poster said the beasts would be. A pack of coeurls have apparently been wreaking havoc over the local terrain, leaving fields scorched and farmers scared, with no way to fight back other than to ask for help.

Feeling more than a little depressed, I follow the others at a slight distance, trying to shake it off before the fight. Right before I’ve fully dug myself out of the pit, we hear a growl, and then suddenly Ignis is under the sharp claws of a massive beast, its hide scarred, whiskers heavily damaged.

Panting, Noctis calls for one final push. Three of the four beasts lie dying or dead in pools of their own blood. Prompto’s holding a gash on his arm closed, blood flowing freely as he tries to aim with his other, but it’s clear he’s flagging. My arms are burning with the effort of taking the hardest hits, dishing out the most powerful swings of my greatsword. Ignis is limping slightly, throwing and calling back his daggers, wreathed in fire, in a frenzy.

We all turn to look at Noctis as one, nod and come to his side. He’s looking just as bruised and bloody; a swipe from the lead coeurl had glanced off his forehead, leaving blood dripping into his eyes. He’s also got a tear in his shirt and another in his pants, just above the knee. He’d broken a potion over the cuts before, but they’re still oozing red.

Together, we set our sights on the coeurl. “Ignis?” Noctis asks, looking to the adviser.

Ignis takes a few seconds to survey the beast’s movements. It slips momentarily in the blood of its fallen brethren, and Ignis calls out for us to rush it, toppling it to the grass. Noctis throws a fire spell in its face, blinding it, right before we fall upon it, and then my blade slams into its neck, crushing its windpipe. Its edge isn’t sharp enough to cut through all the muscle and bone, so it just leaves a mushy, bloody mess.

Prompto stands over the creature and moves me out of the way, aiming at the animal’s eye, shooting it. The coeurl goes still instantly, the bullet having pierced it’s brain. He goes to the others and does the same, before falling to the grass himself. “Gladio...” He calls weakly from the ground, unmoving. “I can’t...” And then he passes out.

“He’s lost a lot of blood.” Ignis says after examining his too-pale face. “Gladio I know it’s a lot to ask, but would you carry him back to the Regalia?”

“Of course.” I let my sword vanish into the armiger, then bend down and pick Prompto up, his body frighteningly limp. Along with all the blood, he looks dead. Trying not to think about that too much, I make my way through the thick forest in the direction of the Regalia. Thankfully, we’re not too far from the road, so it’s not long before we’re back in the car, speeding towards the nearest hotel.

As soon as we get there, Ignis books us a room, and I carry Prompto up. Noctis stumbles after us, closing the door and locking it. Ignis ushers him over to one of the beds and orders him to remove his shirt and pants. He tuts. “You’re going to scar from this.”

“Not like it’ll be the first time.” Noctis comments, then hisses as Ignis dabs foul smelling brown liquid over his wounds. I wince with him; I’ve received such treatment many times after particularly tough training sessions.

I turn my attention to Prompto. The first thing is to stop the flow of blood. Looking at the cuts, I can tell that’s not going to happen without a potion. But before that, the cut needs to be cleaned. With a silent apology, I pick him up again and get him into the bath-slash-shower in the bathroom.

Gripping his chest with one arm, I hold his injured arm with the other, and turn the tap on. Almost immediately, Prompto thrashes against my hold, screaming. “I know, I know. It hurts.” I murmur in his ear, and he calms a little, giving only a quiet whimper. “I’m sorry, but we’ve got to get the wound clean.” He nods, sweat dripping down his forehead. “I need to let go. Can you keep yourself still for me?”

He nods again, his bottom lip between his teeth. I slowly let my arm uncurl from his chest and move over to get a better look at the wound. He inhales audibly, steeling himself for what he knows I’m about to do. Using the corner of a towel, I rub gently at the edges of the wound, until enough blood comes away that I can see just how far it goes. It’s not as bad as it had looked. Four gashes, the outside two deeper than the inside two, and they’re all pretty clean cuts. If we didn’t have potions and other magical restoratives, he’d barely have scars after all this.

Finally, I turn the water off and help him pat it dry. I get a potion from Noctis and break it over Prompto’s arm, and we both watch in awe as the wounds close up. “Never gets less amazing.” Prompto murmurs, sounding on the verge of passing out again. I grasp his upper arm and squeeze, trying to ground him and wake him up.

“Don’t go back to sleep. You lost a lot of blood. You need water, and lots of it.” I root around in one of our packs and hand him a bottle of water. “Drink this.”

He downs it in two goes, gasping in between, and then immediately lays back against the sheets, asleep. I’m on the verge of waking him up when Ignis stops me. “Let him sleep, Gladio. I want to talk to you.”

I look over and see that Noctis is in the same state as Prompto. Sighing, I stand and follow him into the kitchenette. “Sure, what do you want to talk about?”

“I...must confess that I was curious as to what you were reading. I haven’t looked at it-” he says quickly as he sees panic overtaking my features- “but I was wondering if you would be willing to tell me about it? I’ve never seen you so engrossed before.”

I’m torn. On the one hand, Ignis is one of my closest friends, and I’m reasonably confident that he won’t judge me for reading gay erotica, but on the other, if I lose his support and friendship, I’m not sure how I could carry on. I shake my head. I need to have more faith in him.

Misinterpreting the shake of my head, Ignis sighs. “I thought so. I’m sorry to-”

“No, it’s okay, I was just making up my mind, Iggy. Of course I’ll tell you.” Ignis relaxes and leans against the kitchen counter, waiting, listening. “It’s um...kinda embarrassing to say, but it’s...uh...gay erotica.” My cheeks must be tomato red. “I just randomly picked it out, and when I realised what it was, I was going to take it back or something, but we hadn’t stopped anywhere in a while, and I was getting bored in the car. Without anything else to do, I started to read it, and was surprised by how good it was. I got sucked into the story, and before I knew it, I was reading about these two guys giving each other blow jobs.”

Ignis doesn’t say anything for a while. I start to get nervous; his face doesn’t give anything away. I’m just about to laugh and tell him I was kidding when he takes a deep breath. “So how does this book make you feel?”

I blink. It’s not what I had been expecting. “Uh...happy, I guess. They’re getting what they want, and they’re both happy, so I’m happy.”

“I see.” He turns around and looks at the counter he was just leaning against. After a while, he straightens back up. “Thank you for telling me, Gladio.” He doesn’t say anything else, so I leave him in the kitchen, feeling confused. Surely _Ignis_ isn’t gay, right? I mean, it’s Ignis. If anyone had asked, I would have told them Ignis wasn’t interested in anyone. Maybe he’s homophobic? But no, that wouldn’t be in his character either.

I’m shaken out of my thoughts by noise coming from the other side of the room. Noctis is stirring, and when he sees me, he asks if I can get Ignis to make us some dinner. “I’m starving.”

“Okay.” I walk back into the kitchen, finding Ignis leaning against the counter, glasses off, rubbing at his face. “Hey,” I say softly, and he startles, putting his glasses back on. “Princess is hungry. Now that I’m thinking about it, so am I. Mind if I just put on some noodles? It’ll be quicker and easier after that draining fight.”

Ignis looks exhausted, and I wonder just how much of a toll this road trip is taking on him. I make a mental note to do more chores, even though I know it’ll only last at most a week before I’m back to letting him handle it. “That sounds...acceptable.” He says finally. He moves to get the kettle, but I stop him.

“Go and lie down for a bit. I’ll make it.”

For a moment, it looks like he’s going to argue with me, but he eventually nods and wanders to the beds, dropping himself into one and almost immediately falling asleep, glasses still on. I put the kettle on to boil and go over to him, taking his glasses off and putting them on the nightstand.

When the jug boils, I make three cups of noodles and leave them to sit for two minutes. In that time, Noctis drags himself out of bed and sits at the breakfast bar, yawning. He still looks tired, but I appreciate that he’s making an effort. I hand him his noodles and a fork, and he sleepily shovels them into his mouth before going back to bed.

After eating my own noodles, I wake Prompto up and urge him to eat, too. For Ignis’ cup, I take the time to cook up some strips of garula sirloin and place them on top of the dish, along with some freshly cut spring onions.

Loathe to wake him up, but not wanting him to go hungry, I gently shake him until he stirs. “Dinner’s ready.” I say quietly, handing him his bowl.

“I can’t eat this in bed-”

“Ignis, you’re exhausted. Just eat the noodles and go back to sleep. I’ll worry about everything else for now, okay?”

Again, it looks like he’ll protest, until he just sighs and takes the bowl from me. I leave him to eat while I clean up the remains of dinner, which takes seconds, and then pull out my book again.

 _We kept kissing all summer, but of course it couldn’t last at school. We had to pretend to be nothing more than friends, so we went back to_ being _just friends. It hurt every time I saw him, because I remembered the softness of his lips, the feel of them around me, the warmth and weight of him in my arms. I had to pretend everything was okay._

_Somehow, I made it through the semester, right up until autumn break, when he came back and expected things to be exactly the same. I tried to make it work, but…_

“ _Fenris, I can’t do this.” I said one day, as he was in the process of stripping off his shirt in between kisses._

_He completed the motion, but paused there, looking at me with wide eyes. “What do you mean?”_

“ _I...I want you all the time. I want to kiss you in between classes at school. I want to have you in my arms after we’ve finished our homework. I need you on more than the holidays.”_

_His eyes went stormy. “You know full well why I can’t. I’ll get kicked out.”_

“ _Then I’m kicking myself out. Out of your life, Fenris.” My chest was burning, bleeding. “I’ve decided to come out to my parents.” I picked up my backpack, my bike, getting on and getting ready to pedal out of our little alcove. “Whatever happens...” I turned back to him, finding him staring at me in shock. “I had fun.” And with tears streaming down my face, I pushed off and didn’t look back._

_When I was almost out of earshot, he started running after me. I heard his feet pounding on the ground, the spin of his own bike’s chain, the click of the pedals. “Clarience!” He called out to me, but I’m wasn’t listening. If he wanted to talk to me, he knew where to find me._

_I reached home just before curfew, stumbling through the door. Mum looked up from her paperwork, dad leaning out of the kitchen. “Hey. How was school?” He asked me with a smile, but I shook my head._

“ _I have to...tell you something.” That got their attention. Dad wiped his hands on his apron and came to sit at the dining table with mum. I followed him, getting into my usual chair._

“ _What is it?”_

_I looked up and saw that they were ready to listen to me. They looked slightly worried. I took a deep breath. It was just two words. Nothing to make a big deal about. It seemed odd to me, in that moment, that those two words held so much power. They were meant to explain my feelings, explain everything I had been doing with Fenris. They could also be bombs, destroying my life._

_My eyes started to water. How much power we put into words. Love, hate. Gay. Would they still love me? Would they hate me? Because I’m gay. Why did it even matter?_

_A warmth settled over my shoulders, and I heard my dad murmuring in my ear. I realised I had been crying. But ‘crying’ doesn’t really do it justice. I was a mess. My hands went to my face, wiping away tears that were immediately replaced._

“ _It’s okay.” He was saying. “We still love you. Of course we do.”_

_Had I really said it? Had it just slipped out so easily? My arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him into a fierce hug. He rubbed my back, holding me close. After another awkward minute, my mother came to me and put her arms around both of us. “Yes, we still love you, Clarience.” She said, and everything was okay again. I relaxed into their hold and, for the first time in years, my father carried me into my room, lying me down gently. He kissed my forehead._

“ _I love you.”_

Ignis comes into the kitchen, rubbing at his eyes. I open my mouth to tell him to go back to bed, but he shushes me. “I’ll be alright. I just want some water.” True to his word, he downs three glasses of water, nursing a fourth. He looks so tired, still. “So, is it still happy?” He asks, gesturing to the book. “You don’t look happy.”

“It’s...sort of? He’s just come out to his parents, and they support him, but he’s broken up with his boyfriend.”

Ignis hums. He drinks the rest of the water, places the glass on the bench and starts to go back to bed. “Ignis-”

Without looking at me, he starts talking, before I can even ask. “Prompto was walking through the city when he was attacked. It was when we were in Insomnia still. It was some of his classmates. It appears he had a crush on one of them and asked him out on a date. More than just turning him down, he came out to...prove a point, I suppose. I happened to be driving back to my apartment and of course I jumped out and stopped them, took him back to my place.

“He was convinced-” his voice constricts, and I know his eyes are on Prompto, unwavering. Ignis clears his throat and tries again. “He was convinced that I was going to hate him, tell both you and Noct and laugh at him while leaving him behind. I assured him that, of course, that wouldn’t happen.”

He slowly turns to me. “I have watched over him for three years, Gladio, and I have seen him grow in so many ways, but still, he has not told you nor Noct his secret. That you should have picked up that book is-” He takes a deep breath. “I have watched him...”

I know what he’s trying to say. I come over and place my hand on his shoulder. “I’ll talk to him.” Finally, our eyes meet. “I’ll take care of him.” A minute. “Thank you for telling me.”

He looks away first. “Don’t tell him I told you. He’ll be furious with me.”

“Of course. My lips are sealed.” We share a smile, and I walk past him, falling into bed. Before I can even think about anything other than how nice it feels to be on a mattress – yes, even I can appreciate it every now and then – I’m asleep.

It takes me a few days to decide what exactly I’ll talk to Prompto about. Although I had been pretty sure that Ignis was trying to tell me that he had fallen for me, as I re-examined the conversation in my memory, I became less and less sure of myself. He could have been saying anything. I want to ask him what he had meant, but he closes the conversation down any time I try. So I’m left to ask the chocobo, so to speak. Straight from the bird’s mouth, as they say.

“Hey, Prom, let’s get something to eat.” I say, making sure the others know I mean alone.

“Sure.” He says cheerfully, but I know that won’t last very long. He’s bound to get uncomfortable, but I have to ask. I have to let him know that I don’t hate him, that maybe I even have feelings for him. It’s hard to say, though, because we’ve been so close for so long. It hadn't seemed like my feelings for him were very much different from those I hold for Iggy or Noct, but after thinking about it for the past few days, I’ve come to realise that they _are_ different, even if they’ve only recently changed.

I’m noticing him more, now, aware of where he is in the tent, aware of how close together we sit at the campfire. It’s no closer or further than usual, but it feels like a yawning chasm, while also feeling like a hair’s breadth. I want to reach across it, pull him into my arms and hold him like Clarience had held Fenris.

He leads the way over to the diner, already thinking about what he wants to eat. When we sit down, I just get chips, while Prompto gets a chickatrice and egg salad. While we’re waiting for the food, I look over Prompto. His eyes are the same blue as before, but they seem somehow more captivating. His skin is the same tone as before, but it now looks like milk to me, like silk, soft and warm. His hair is the same style and colour as always, but to me it looks like spun sunshine, plucked right from the dawn light.

My chest aches. How had I not noticed him before? How had he slipped me by? His lips are forming words, his beautiful, pink, thin lips. Wait...words?

“Sorry?”

He chuckles. “I was asking what you wanted to talk about? You wouldn’t have asked me here alone if you didn’t want to talk to me about something.” He makes a face. “If it’s about hogging too much of the tent space: I regret nothing and will absolutely not change my habits.”

“It’s not about that, Prompto.”

Upon hearing me use his full name, his smile fades. “Uh-oh. That’s never good.” He steals one of my chips. “What have I done now?”

“Prom...” Gods damn it, I’m not prepared for this. “You remember how I’m reading that book?”

“Yeah?” He says slowly, taking another of my chips.

“When you looked at it the other day, your reaction...why did you act like that?”

I can see him calculating, judging whether he should play dumb. “...Act like what?” He says finally.

“Standoffish. You know, avoiding me.”

He bites his lip. Chews on his salad instead when he catches himself doing it. Swallows. Takes a deep breath. Looks at anything but me. He seems lost, stranded, like he has no idea what to say. I don’t push or prompt him. He needs to do this by himself. But when his eyes finally meet mine, I can see him drowning.

“Prom, it’s okay.” I say, leaning forward. My chips, apart from Prompto’s picking, remain untouched, so I slide them away from me. “Whatever it is, you know I’ll support you, yeah? I...I tried giving you time to come to me by yourself, but...I mean, not to sound like an overprotective parent, but I’m worried about you.” I shake my head. “That’s...not what I meant. I...I care about you. If something’s bothering you, on your mind, I want to know. Not just to know, but so I can hopefully help.”

He sighs and looks down at the table. “Yeah, I know.” He gives me a watery smile. “Thanks, Gladio.”

“It’s okay.” I gingerly reach out and take his hand in mine, squeezing it. “You can talk to me about anything.”

“Yeah.” I see him eyeing my plate of chips, and I smile, pushing it towards him. He gobbles them down and sits back. “Thanks.”

It takes another week or so for Prompto to approach me. “Hey, I was thinking we could train tomorrow morning?” He says quickly, as if trying to get it out before he changes his mind.

“Sure thing. See you bright and early.”

He almost groans, but catches himself. I smile. there’s no way we’re not going to squeeze in some training, too.

The next morning, after a morning coffee that Prompto had insisted on, we step off the protected rock and down into the dewy grass. Prompto shivers.

“Let’s go for a jog to warm up.” I say, and he glares at me.

“You know I didn’t actually mean what I said yesterday.” He pouts.

“Yeah, but Noct and Iggy will think it’s strange if you’ve not even broken out a sweat. Come on, you used to do this every morning, didn’t you?” I start running so he’ll have to follow suit if he wants to continue talking to me.

He does catch up, but we’re both panting too hard to talk. Eventually, I decide we’ve gone far enough and stop by a thicket of trees. He leans against one of them while I stretch, catching his breath. Finally, he slaps me playfully. “That was _not_ what I had in mind.”

“I know. But now the others can’t overhear us, no matter if they get up or not.” He blinks up at me. “So...what’s up?”

I immediately see his nerves return, and he looks away from me. “Nothing much.” He mumbles, and I don’t press. He’ll tell me eventually. In the meantime, I stretch so that my muscles don't cramp up later.

When I feel I'm thoroughly stretched, I lean back against the tree next to his and wait. The sun rises and starts to make its way to its zenith. Prompto keeps shivering. When he can’t take it anymore, he comes to me, and I wrap my arms around him, keeping him warm.

The sun continues to rise.

Prompto closes his eyes and falls against me, beginning to doze off. My heart squeezes. He’s so beautiful.

The sun peaks over our heads.

Warm wetness soaks into my shirt. My legs ache. I look down at him crying. He’s so beautiful.

The light filters down through the leaves. The patches dance across his face. He’s so beautiful. My heart is pounding. My breath stutters. He’s so beautiful. He lifts his head and looks at me. He’s so beautiful.

“I’m gay.” He’s so beautiful.

“Me too.” He’s so beautiful.

A slow, quiet smile reaches his lips. He’s so beautiful.

I lean down, my arms securely around his waist. He’s so beautiful.

Our lips meet. He makes a whimpering noise. Or maybe it’s a moan.

He’s so beautiful.

We part, and look at each other for a moment. My hand finds the side of his face, somehow. There seems to be too much of him, but not enough by far. I feel have to hold all of him, cup him against my chest, shield him from anyone and everything that could ever hurt him.

He’s so beautiful.

I am so, undeniably, unfathomably in love with him.

He’s so beautiful.

We kiss.

Again.

His lips are so soft, so gentle.

I love him.

I feel myself cry. I don’t know why.

He cries with me. I don’t know why.

I love him.

I love him.

He holds me, I hold him.

I love him.

We kiss.

He’s so beautiful.

He’s so warm and soft and kind and gentle and thoughtful and good and _beautiful_ , and I love him.

Our foreheads press together.

It’s night.

“We should go back.” He says, and I nod. It makes sense. The world has continued, the laws governing us have stayed the same. My world has shifted, but the one under my feet remains. The daemons will come, and they will have no mercy for our new love. He pulls away from me, and I don’t try to stop him.

He leads the way back to camp. Ignis is stirring a pot over his portable cooker, having been unable to light a fire without me. Noct is dozing against Zurick, his chocobo, who gives a soft _kweh_ upon our arrival.

Prompto crouches down and ruffles his feathers, Zurick preening at the attention.

“How did it go?” Ignis asks softly as I come over to him.

“Good. We’re...good.”

Puzzled, he looks over to see my face, and understanding spreads over his own. He nods. “Good.” I must be smiling like an idiot.

_His hand found mine in the darkness, and I pulled him close to me. I thought of Fenris, then, of the boy who had stolen my first kiss. But I don’t resent him. Not anymore. I’d moved on from him. I had screamed and cried, even silently bled from my heart. But it had stopped. My life had moved on. I found someone new._

_The man – for that’s what he was – smiled and held me close. I was done dating young boys. The beat of the music reverberated in our bodies, forcing us to move with it, pushing us closer. Finally, when we were almost inside one another, he kissed me, and I knew everything would be okay. At least for now._


End file.
